Patterns of oral habits in patients with oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders: a cross-sectional study

Background: While evaluating the various etiologic factors, most of the studies had attributed the development of oral cancer (OC) and oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) to oral habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, chewing of smokeless tobacco, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns of oral habits in patients with OC and OPMDs. Methods: This is a hospital‑based cross‑sectional study. The patients attending the outpatient department of this tertiary care hospital were selected after thorough clinical screening with a view to detect the presence OPMDs and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). After obtaining written informed consent, all the details including habit history were recorded in a specially prepared clinical record sheet through active interrogation and proper clinical examination. This data was tabulated in the excel sheet to facilitate further statistical analysis. Results: While analyzing the oral habits among male subjects, significant number (65.5%) had tobacco-chewing habit, 52.2% had tobacco smoking habit while 35.4% had the habit of alcohol consumption. On the other hand, 66% of 53 female subjects had only tobacco chewing habit. There was an increasing trend of Gutkha use among both sexes. The tobacco chewing habits were more prevalent in the third, fourth and fifth decades of life among the study population. Frequency of habit‑associated OC or OPMDs was also statistically significant. Conclusions: The study proves a definite association between smokeless tobacco habit and OC and OPMDs and necessitates appropriate interventions.